Blue Velvet
by Miss Nae Malfoy
Summary: Bella Swan is the new girl to Langley Heights- a gated community with too many secrets hidden beneath scandals and lies. Set in the rich city of Urbana, Ohio, this Chief's daughter meets the mysterious, shy Edward Cullen; their relationship instantly becomes taboo, but will she live long enough to solve the murders surrounding his shady past? Too bad she doesn't know she's next.


**A/N: Here's a Xmas treat for y'all!**

**Inspired by the movie "House at the End of the Street", "Twilight" and "Fear". And the beautiful singer LANA DEL REY. Her cover of "Blue Velvet" is off the chain! Check it out.**

"You got it?" I called from the top window of the two story house, peeking down at my dad as though I were some kind of medieval damsel in distress atop a stone tower. He grunted heavily and waved a flutter of arthritis-ridden fingers in my direction as he lifted another loaded box from the back of his police cruiser. I smiled down at him and turned back around to finish unpacking the rest of his things for his bedroom. My dad was in his late thirties when I was born, making him almost 55 now; I understood that he needed more help around the house and I needed to spend less time away from him in another state. While Forks, Washington was not an ideal place for me to live in since my mom was more or less based in Phoenix, Arizona, I didn't even consider moving in with my dad at that time- but then he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Move with him to Bellefontaine, Ohio, where I was offered a part time job down at the station and I could apply for college next semester, if I so chose to. A deal had never sounded so sweet! I put his folded clothes on hangers and set up some picture frames and his alarm clock on the mahogany nightstand. There needed to be some more feminine touches done around here, but this was still so new.

The house was new, our father-daughter living arrangement was new, our neighbors were new… it would take some time to get into a comfortable groove, but I just knew it could happen for us. We were both stubborn and willing to fight for the last chance at our emotional relationship. We needed to get to know each other before our connection as a parent and daughter completely dispersed. "I…" Charlie stepped into his new room and sniffed at the air, wrinkling his nose slightly as the fruity breeze passed him. "That's a good smell. Like flowers, or fruit." He replied gruffly, as if giving a compliment about the air around him was such a hard feat to accomplish.

I smiled at the complete and utter awkward gene I was blessed to not receive in my gene pool. "You like it? It's one of those scent plug-ins. They last a really long time, this one is "Lavender Ocean Breeze"." I gestured to the air freshener on the outlet above his laundry basket- I had never lived with a man before, but I used common sense to believe that his dirty clothes would be smelly and foul after the twelve hour shifts my dad was famous for. An odor equalizer seemed sensible to me. He nodded in a stern manner and hooked his thumbs into his jean pockets. "I just finished hanging up all of your fancy clothes and uniform. I also did a precautionary scrub down in the bathroom, just in case." I added jokingly, even though I did.

"Yeah, you never know what these Ohio people do in their latrines." The joke was not funny, it was bigot go say and just slightly rude, but it was his first attempt at humor in the first twenty four hours of my arrival so I shared some short-lived chortles of laughter with him. Soon after, I excused myself and strolled down the hall to my new room. The cubic square inches were tripled from my little four wall dwelling back in Phoenix, where our cookie cutter house sliced each room like a little box. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind one ear before settling on my queen-sized bed, belly up. By the time my flight touched down Wednesday, Charlie had already set up the primary components of the house- from the kitchen appliances, to the living room furniture, and my bed. It touched my heart that in the two days before I arrived, he thought to first construct my bed and then his. And on the first night, I turned off the lights and carefully laid on my back facing the ceiling; a brilliant surprise awaited above me, where a galaxy of tiny glow-in-the-dark stars were scattered everywhere. My dad said that the entire two story house got a new paint job before we arrived, so _he _did this!

I smiled as I rolled over and checked my phone. Even though green forest surrounded most of our gated community, seeing as we were high in the mountains of Bellefontaine, I still had great service and applications downloaded in record time. Facebook was lame as usual, with those pathetic "Like for the cure of Cancer" or "Comment for Justin Bieber, Like for this American Soldier". I had a few unread messages, which were probably more complaints from friends and cousins that started to miss me. I mean, I wasn't some overly-popular girl where I came from, but I was great to others; I loved to help, to cook, to listen to people's problems and give them constructive feedback. I was plainly easygoing, which not very many people were these days. "Bells." He knocked on my door twice before he appeared through my open door. "Hey, I'm going to pick up some Chinese food from Lum's Kitchen. What… do you like?" I tried to rush my answer, but I sort of forgot what I liked to eat. My mom usually ordered for me when we went out. "Or we can eat somewhere else if Chinese food is bad…" Charlie trailed off awkwardly.

I shook my head quickly- I _loved _Chinese food! "No, I like Chinese food a lot. It's just… I haven't really had to order for myself before. But I guess I'll have the beef and broccoli with Chow Mien?" It came out as more of a question than I intended it to be.

He nodded in an odd rhythm. "Sounds good. I'll be back in an hour." I waved goodbye and listened for the distinct sound of the front door opening, closing, locking, and the alarm system beeping approvingly as it armed the entire house again. Our real estate agent assured us that this was a very fine neighborhood and that the resale rate my dad ought this property for was just a mere fluke of the banks and previous owner. Well, at least that was my dad's rendition of it. The community invited us to a sort of welcoming party, where we would have the privilege of meeting the other newbies from a street over. Our agent would be present, seeing as he was a part of the community himself, so perhaps I would properly size him up and find truth in his words. My mom used to get so upset about my curious mind- I was always playing detective, effectively sticking my nose where it didn't belong and the only street that didn't cross Prosperity Street. Complete coincidence? The nearest cross street was Road 282, which was a back way into Langley Heights. There was a small pit stop area called "Fuel N' Stop" a few minutes left of our community gates, but it was owned by snail-paced, talkative old man in blue overalls (plus he only sold gasoline and finger foods). Our community was named "Langley Heights" after Langley Whillful, the man who built the first and oldest house on this land back in 1910.

My dad made it home in record time, so I served out food on ceramic plates before we settles before his large, plasma flat screen TV set. His Dodgers were playing, so all of his focus was primarily on the game. "Hey, so can I go into town tomorrow?" Ohio was completely foreign to me, I wasn't sure we were even big enough to show up on the map.

"Sure." He shrugged and sipped from a select dark brew languidly. I smiled over at him from my soft, padded lounger; if this had been my mom, she would have asked a million questions and insisted that I was going to meet up with a boy. My dad's company was pleasant, he didn't hover. "I'm heading out in the early morning, I'll be back at around six. That enough time for you to check out Urbana?" I nodded happily and updated my Facebook status with a hint of the giddiness I was feeling. Urbana was the closest town south of us, closer to the big city my dad was Chief of Police of, Dayton. He made it clear that I wasn't to drive past dark by myself.

I answered an insistent call of my mothers and reassured her that I was fine and well before she hesitantly hung up and made me promise to call her before I left and turned from downtown Urbana the next afternoon. She still didn't trust me on the road after three years of driving experience, especially now that I was cruising around in my dad's prized possession through curvy forest roads. "Just do me a favor and don't have sex… oh, but if you do, please use protection! Be safe, Bella I've taught you better than to treat intercourse like its whimsical-" Rene babbled.

"Yeah, mom, alright. Love you, bye." Sex was not a conversation topic I wanted to elaborate on with her. My only serious relationship was with a boy named Brad back home and I wished I had never laid eyes on him! He was rude, snobby, and absolutely rotten in bed. I mean, I had nothing to compare it to… but I just knew that sex was suppose to be something filled with pleasure, not a gruff exchange of awkward looks and sharp jabs. I first lost my virginity when I was merely twelve years old- I was riding my Uncle Paul's quarter horse around the enclosed arena behind his ranch when I was thrust around wildly by Sandy's mad cries over a small snake, then brought down by the force of gravity on top the saddle's horn which ripped through the hymen skin so painfully. I remembered crying for days out of both physical pain and emotional turmoil. My mom had to explain all of the blood.

Sex was not my forte. I tried it once with Brad, it was awful, and I never wanted to experience it again. End of story.

**NEXT DAY-**

"So, how's lovely Ohio? Ready to drown yourself in painful sorrows yet?" Angie teased from her end of the phone. My friends from Phoenix said "Ohio' like it was a foreign word.

I rolled my eyes and threw my dad's 2011 Chevy Challenger, raised on 22 inch, shiny rims and black rubber tires big enough to make a tire swing for the likes of Fat Albert, into park and hopped down from the highbred driver's seat. "No, it's actually really peaceful. I mean, other than the occasional snooty neighbor, we're all good" I mused as I strolled past a few mom-and-pop shops in the rectangular shopping plaza, Plazza Liazzone. This part of town was recommended to me by the owner of Fuel N Stop, whom promised it was the next big thing but was not over buzzing with crowds of shoppers. This square came highly accredited online, where Urbana boasted that they were the "biggest little town in Ohio". I liked casual, mild, calm. It was so nice to take everything in without the bustle of huge skyscrapers and impatient businessmen.

"Yeah, I saw the pictures you put up on Facebook. A gated community with those totally fabulous homes that looked like they jumped straight out of a magazine? Seriously, Bella, that's the life!" I laughed at her unusually exuberant tone. Since when was Angela Weber was outgoing and exclamatory? "Is the catch those awful neighbors?"

"Well, I don't really know if they're awful yet. The real estate agent is a sneaky little ass that lives a few blocks down, and if he's anything like the rest, I can tell we wont be joining the same country club." I added jokingly. Should I have mentioned the fact that he didn't admit it until my dad already signed the lease that there were a string of murders committed some years back in the area? Bodies going missing, some turning up at Wilder's Ledge River, which was the body of water that the creek that ran along Masen Road originated from. Not to mention the fact that the victims were around the tender age of twenty. When I explained it to Angela, she was speechless for only a moment.

"Murders? Bella, are you sure you're safe?" Her words were dripping with genuine concern but I brushed them off easily.

"Yeah, of course! The last murder committed was a good few years back, and my dad is the god forsaken Chief of Police here. Nothing is going to happen to me, Angie, the killings were probably more dramatized by the media than anything." I tried to make my angle seem breezy and just the result of melodramatics, but she was still unmoving on her position.

"I know you're brave and everything, but I still worry. Killers aren't meant to be played with, Bella, this is your life you're talking about." Angela's voice had a wobble to it, so I steered us away from the conversation topics quickly.

"So, how are you and Ben?" I inquired as I chased out at the front register of See's Candy Store, a bag full of Carmel chitchatted in hand as I continued my stroll.

Her heavy sigh perked my ears. "We're fine, I guess. His photography business is really taking off, you know. We spend so little time together and so much time working, its ridiculous. Between college, waitressing, and being a fiancé… I don't know, it gets hard." I nodded and made a small noise to let her know to continue. Since our first year of high school, she been working at "Sandy's Cookout" on Pindell street, and now she was the floor supervisor. "And its not like we can breakup or have some kind of breathing space, we live together now!" They felt that they didn't see each other enough when they lived with their respective parents, and now that they finally did live together with each other they wanted a breather? Their relationship was always complicated yet the ideal match up you'd expect from two very intelligent, kind-hearted individuals. I sipped my Coca-Cola and listened on. "He's thinking about dropping our of Arizona State and applying to some fancy film school in California."

I nearly spluttered my drink all over my crème colored shirt and dark blue jeans. "In California? How the hell did he spring something like that on you?" As her best friend, I knew that loved Arizona a lot, both because of stretched-out family ties and her devotion to all things Phoenix.

Angela stayed quiet for an unmistakable minute. "He didn't, not yet at least. I found an open letter stuffed between the sofa cushions when I was cleaning last week- as if that were a good hiding place!" She fumed angrily. "It stated that they were happy to announce that the first part of the application process was completed, and said they included the second part with the letter… but that document wasn't there. Hollywood Film school… doesn't he know that I hate the Los Angeles area? So much traffic, so many people and disease, absolute zero privacy!"

As her honest, loving, caring friend I wanted to run an idea past her… what if Ben didn't plan on taking Angie with him? They were engaged and promised each other forever since middle school, but that didn't mean that Ben wanted to drag a complaining fiancé along for the ride. Maybe he was considering a long distance relationship? "I'm sure he'll bring it up to you soon enough; you know Benny better than I do! He's a serious procrastinator, give him some time and space, he'll fess up." I meant to say "he'll explain things" but I think he needed a confession first! I couldn't bring my point up to her, it was just too heartbreaking to consider. What would Angie do without her best friend _and _longtime boyfriend around? I hung up with her after a drawn-out goodbye on my part and made my way back to my house.

The BBQ that weekend came too quickly, and I found myself staring down at my strappy wedges while Mr. Black entertained the lot of us with a far-fetched story from his college years; the grilled food was far past overcooked, the fancy poolside furniture and patio dwellings were both uncomfortable and tricky to settle in, and the weird stares Mr. Black's youngest son made me feel so disgusting. The boy licked his thin lips and pulled himself from the deep end of the salt water pool, making a distinct beeline right towards me. "Hey, you're the new girl around her, right? Isabella Swan." He clarified for himself.

I nodded and tried not to cringe as he towel-dried his too thin, shirtless frame, then shook his chin length hair about like a wet dog. I looked around to see no one immediately beside me- I sensed that I shouldn't be left alone with this guy. I wore a colorful tunic that was far too constricting for my liking, but I was trying to make a good impression on everyone, if not for my own piece of mind, for my dad's ease. Even if he didn't give a shit what most people thought of him, his job at the Dayton Police Department was one that he wanted to keep- these socialites destroyed anyone they want alive. All of our neighbors were, up until the last hour or so, complete and utter strangers. We came with a clean slate, where it was all up to us on how we portrayed the kind of people we were. "Call me Bella." I shook the hand he offered politely but retracted it as soon as I could. I didn't like the way he looked at me, stood above me like a towering fool, or the way he smelled right now.

"Mom says you guys bought the house at the end of the street. How do you like it?" Jacob lounged on a sun chair next to me and called over an awaiting server. He requested two lemonades for us- how utterly charming?

"It's nice. The size a little too big for us, but I try to make it cozy for my dad and I." Jacob's snooty little scoff made me snap my head in his direction. "What?" I confronted his little noise immediately.

He regarded me with a lazy look. "That little blue thing is no way "big", it's moderately sized at most. Look at this." Jacob gestured to the expanse of his family's estate. The beautiful château-styled home was huge and very fine in color, but I wasn't comparing my home to _this _place. I wanted to add that I was comparing it to the two bedroom flat I lived in with my mom in Phoenix, but I decided against it. "But that's not what's important." His beady, little black eyes shifted over my lips before taking a split second glance at my chest. "Me and some of my buddies are throwing a party in a few days, you should stop by. It's an invite-only, but I can get you in." His smirk was casual, as if he fed the hungry and took in the homeless on a daily basis. "Are you considering transferring to Dayton State university this coming semester?" I didn't want to admit that I was not interested at all in starting a college semester this year, and I surely didn't consider that party school!

"No." I offered a polite smile and folded my hands in my lap. "I'm taking a few online courses in order to start working towards a degree once I do decide what college I wish to attend." His blank smile told me that he could care less or give more fucks than the next person what I planned to do for my future, he only cared if he was in my pants tonight. "I plan to attend University of Arizona next year." If I did my freshmen year there already, why not go back for my third year?

His thick, black eyebrows came together in a crinkled mess of contemplation. "Arizona? As in the state?" I nodded with a forced smile- oh, he was _so _smart. "What are you going to do way out there? What's wrong with Ohio?" He was obviously still very young in his mind, and even at nineteen I was able to see the world through very open eyes. "Besides, you just got here." He added quietly.

"Bella!" Charlie called from the open pool gate. I whipped my head around and looked at him with grateful eyes, he was being the ultimate wingman lately! "Come meet the rest of the crowd." He beckoned me with a slight of head and I offered a lame "excuse me" before rushing off to meet him by the Quash platter table. "I don't want you hanging around these boys alone. They're wild, full of abandonment, and stop at no lengths to get what they think is theirs. Full of money and full of bullshit, Bellsie." Sometimes it was funny to hear cuss words come out of his thin-lipped mouth, but not when he was giving me this kind of talk.

My mom left him when I was only ten, so I was spared any of those "boy talks" since my mom was far more open about sex and the like than I ever wanted to be. "I know, dad." I put a consoling hand on his folded arm. "I'm smarter than that. You've raised me right." I added in a lie. He didn't really raise me, even when he and Rene were still married… he was always working, chasing the next dollar, and overtime was evermore on his mind. I raised myself.

Charlie sighed softly. "I know, Bella." He lifted his lips in a small, pathetic smile and patted my straightened hair gingerly. "I trust you and your impeccable judgment. It's just the males that I don't trust around you. I don't have an ounce of trust in that Jacob-"

"Here they are!" Sarah Black expressed in a high-pitched tone that carried over and got our attention. She was ushering a timid party of three towards us at an alarming rate. "These are the Swans, Chief of Police Charles Swan and his lovely little girl, Isabella." I wanted to bite her goddamn drooping earlobe off for muttering my full name for the fourth time today. Even after I corrected her, she'd just keep talking over me! Was she the kind of old lady that got off on gritting people's nerves? "And these are the Brandons- Dr. Robert and Dr. Sandra, and their daughter Alice. They're also new to the community, both of your families recently moved in to the neighborhood." Sarah clapped her hands in a delighted gesture. "Dr. and Dr. Brandon own their own practice down in Cava Akk, the small town just a drive away from us." I suppressed an eye roll at the town's name- Cava Akk was a glitzy town where gas was a solid dollar more than expensive than anywhere else in Ohio, and plastic surgery was a hot commodity. Did we somehow boost the point value of the community? Why else was she introducing us as if we were cars on a Chevrolet lot? My father and I were not for sale, and we were not looking to buy.

"Very nice to meet you." I shook hands with the family and smiled over at the girl Alice, whom looked to be around my own age.

"You know, when Billy and I first moved here we became very close neighbors with the Denalis, because they were also new. My two twin daughters went to prom with the Denali boys, we share Sunday meals after service, we even partnered together to build the First Church of Christ… the first and only church to be built within the community. It will be opening next Sunday!" Mrs. Black said pointedly. Her enthusiasm was so young, matching her tight, youthful skin, but as I glanced down at her spider-veined, wrinkly hands I blanched. Plastic surgery queen. "Perhaps that kind of comradely can present itself here?" Sarah added before waltzing away towards her humble husband again. Mrs. Brandon tried to initiate conversation between us but my dad wasn't very interested in the cheery wood lacquering of their new house, so we drifted from one another went our respectful ways. By the end of the night, I met the Denali daughter Tanya, the Stanley family including daughters Jane, Jessica, Reeza, and only son Davie.

"Hello." Jessica greeted me with polite civility. "You're the Isabella Swan they're talking about, right? You're a little prettier than Mrs. Black described." She added in a high-pitched tone. Wow, that was a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one! "What do you think of that Alice Brandon? What kind of vibe do you get?" Jessica bombarded me with a truckload of questions, her two nearly identical sisters at her heels. "Has anyone warned you about the Cullen son?" I shook my head to act causal, but my heart was pounding. Maybe it was something in my blood or the natural DNA of a cop inside of me, but I loved a good mystery or scandal in dire need of a domestic investigation. "Well, he lives right across from you, behind that green Forrest we call the Screeching Oaks."

"Why do you call it that?" I shifted the cup of pink lemonade from one hand to the other.

"Because when it gets really stormy, the wind going through those oak trees makes it sound like someone is screeching." Jessica sent me a smirk. "But don't worry, just a few years ago the Game Warden put a no-hunting rule on the mountains that run through and around us, so no one's really screaming, or anything. Anyway, the big Cullen house only _looks _empty and abandoned. It's huge, probably just a little bigger than the Black's." She looked around her in a gesture to the size. Well, wouldn't it be shitty for Jake Black to hear from another's mouth that their house was bigger than his? "His parents died in some freak accident, his name is Edward. And his brother…" She glanced around us before leaning in, "no one really knows where he is. The whole family is like one big freak show, Mrs. Black _hates _that Edward Cullen still lives here in Langley Heights, but there's nothing she can really do about it. He inherited the house, she can't just kick him out of his family's home. _Then _everyone would see the real monster that woman is." Jess whispered harshly.

"Sounds like she's not the most loved woman on the block." I supplied lamely, falling short of a comeback as I was still processing the information. An Edward Cullen lived in the cabin-looking house across the small forest? A man with a past that was very obviously ejected from the standard neighborly cookout at the end of the month? He was definitely worth getting to know.

"Puh-lease!" Jane, Jessica's shorter, younger sister scoffed. "That's the understatement of the year. Sure, we aren't all that fond of Cullen or his very irritating past that still lingers, but we hate Mrs. Black with a fiery passion. Mom says she's like the antichrist or something." I laughed at the fifteen year old's perspective on this. She spoke very educated, maturely, and despite the heavy eyeliner and bright orange hair, her words were more distracting than Jessica's cleavage that played peek-a-boo every time she moved a certain way. "I disagree. I assume Jesus Christ's arch nemesis is a lot more powerful, and wears a lot less old lady "White Diamonds"." Jessica, Alice, and I shared a few chortles of quiet laughter. It wasn't all that often that people, young women epically, were able to express their opinion and take it in laughter.

From what I took, Langley didn't take well unto individualism. Either you fit into a mold or you simply didn't fit in at all, and fitting in was the care minimum around here. There were some minor families with names I couldn't remember, so I chalked it up in my mind as unimportant and carried on with my day. We arrived back home and lounged around lazily until my dad went to sleep and I crashed on the cozy sofa, watching "I Love Lucy" reruns,

**Friday, August 23, 2010**

My dad needed some new insoles for his work shoes and I needed new sport bras- Jessica and Tanya Denali invited me to use their family's gym equipment, I didn't want to embarrass myself with sweat pants and a boy shirt! So I fueled up my dad's gas-guzzling truck and made my way back into Urbana and shopped around a bit. I was strolling around Plazza Liazzone when I stopped in front of a beautiful red Chevy Impala, with fresh-looking claw marks running down the doors and broken glass surrounding the vehicle. I took my chances and ran inside of the humming little restaurant of Sal's Diner. "The red 64 Impala?" I called out to the reclusive tenants of the diner before a young-looking man stood up and brushed past me. Why did he smell like green apples and husky cologne, all at once? I followed him just to take a whiff of it again.

It was obviously his beauty, according to his reaction. "Jesus fucking Christ." He uttered harshly before brushing away some broken glass and opened the driver side's door. The hood was up, torn to shreds to hang above the seats like sleeves of a scary Halloween costume; the tires all looked to be flat, both side mirrors were barely hanging on to the car, and someone very upset must have keyed the car in anger because the lettering was done in longhand and read, "Popped your cherry".

"I'm so sorry." I added quietly as he fumed about the car, popping the engine's hood to inspect what other damage was done. My dad taught me at a very young age to respect cars and how to treasure the sight of something truly beautiful. These impalas were the gods of of lowriders, old schoolers, all Chevrolets… whoever did this, whether it was a random bloke or a crazy ass ex-griefirnd extracting revenge, I felt awful for him.

"I did not request, nor do I require, your pity." I was taken aback by his brash response, bit it was resilient.

"I'm not throwing a pity party for you. But I do feel really bad for your car. You know, the bordereau is always harder on the kids." I gestured to the message on his car, meaning that his precious vehicle was going to suffer badly over a relationship he seemed to have royally screwed up on.

His sparkling green eyes roamed over my face, his hand running through his bronze locks all the while. "I don't have a girlfriend." He stumbled over his words as if I were making him nervous. "This is the work of the townspeople." The man muttered angrily. I suddenly felt worse for him; who could hate someone so horribly that they would trash a guy's only means of transportation?

"On purpose?" I blurted out. I understood that sounded like a really stupid question, but as soon as the words came out I just couldn't take them back. I meant to ask why the people purposefully chose his car, or if they juts did this sort of thing randomly.

"Yeah, on purpose." He hissed before walking away. Sure, he wasn't begin overly rude in his situation, but why bite my head off for something I didn't even do? Didn't he ever hear of "don't kill the messenger"? I cringed at the obviously loud noise that echoed through the shopping center as he kicked the metal trash bins, completely denting the row of solid receptors. He immediately whipped around at my gasp and stared at me as if he were just a small baby caught by his mother doing something naughty and worthy of grounding. I was going to offer him words of wisdom or perhaps even a consoling phrase, but everything died at my lips. His face forced me to focus my entire attention to it; he had the pinkest, fullest lips I had ever seen on a grown man and his stoic, alabaster skin spread across his facial features like a flawless layer of perfection. A strong, defined jaw line and two severe, sharp cheekbones that housed an unusual blush of sorts- again, a blush on a grown man was certainly a little bizarre to me. His big, green eyes drooped in the most sensual way at the end of his long eyelashes that cast against thick, yet trimmed eyebrows. I had to wonder, was this image natural or was it something worked at?

His chest was heaving up and down in a claming gesture, showcasing well-defined upper body muscles; and the way his bicep muscles flexed nauseate his long-sleeved, fitted sweater as he ran a nervous through his unkempt hair made me drool with a certain wanton. The indigo blue jeans hung low on his hips, but were snug enough to let me know his juicy ass was not the only sweet treat he offered. When he caught me staring, I skirted my eyes away from his and tried to mask my embarassment by fiddling with my cell phone, but that oh so beloved blush stained my cheeks. There was no follow-up brash remark, cocky smirk, or egotistical drawl like I came to expect from the male population. "I'm sorry for overreacting, Miss. It's just… that car is very important to me. It's- it _was _priceless."

I nodded eagerly and met his eyes, glad that he was generous enough to change the conversation and direction of our interaction. "It still is. A little bit of love and care will do the Impala good, I think. Put it in an even better shape than it was before. That'll show definitely show the local assholes." I gestured with my eyes to the small crowd of local wangsters gathering in front of "Nancy's Apparel". He nodded politely and turned back around to continue down the concrete path to Main Street. "Wait!" I called after him and trailed loosely behind. I gathered the name brand zip-up jacket around me before facing him, the spontaneous high winds blowing headstrong against my face. "How are you getting home?"

His guarded green opals looked over my face, so I self-consciously wiped the small line of snot forming beneath my nostril in haste. "I am going to walk home. There is a trail I know very well. Than… thank you for your concern." He seemed to be unsure of whether to thank me or push me away from his personal space. He turned around in the end, but I tugged softly at his shoulder to make him face me once more.

"Please… it's windy and it looks like a nasty storm. How far away from home are you?" Why was I so concerned about a complete stranger? He obviously wanted his own privacy and made it painfully clear that he didn't enjoy my company or conversation. I blamed my blunt attitude and overwhelming kindness on my overbearing, rude, obnoxious mother.

"I am about fifteen miles from home. I can make it there before the storm approaches." My jaw dropped. He was going to walk fifteen miles back to his house? Jesus, I would have rather paid the ridiculous Dayton cab fares before I walked all that way in the cold with no practical winter clothing or protection!

"Can I give you a ride? Please, it will do me a bigger favor than it will you. I'd hate it if you got too tired or cold and didn't make it home safely." I tried to make him see reason.

He shook his head. "No… I don't think that's a good idea. I'll make it home alright. This isn't the first situation to leave me stranded. Again, the concern is appreciated, but not welcomed." And he walked away again. I gritted my teeth against the slight hesitation he left me with; I had to remember that his ego was probably hugely deflated and his heart was sunk beneath his gut, having no ride and delaing with a pushy little twenty year old that still had her cozy, warm ride to drive off in. So, I did what anyone sane would do,s something my dad would have done in my situation. I zipped up my coat, tucked in my thin scarf, stuffed my hands in the two front pockets, and hurried to ctach up with his longer strides. When he felt my warthm, or perhaps heard my heavy footfalls beside him, he looked down and over at me with the smallest of smiles and feigned annoyance. "Please, Miss, the weather isn't permitting for a small woman like you to be out and about, following a lunatic in the cold." Why did he call himself a lunatic? He was just angry and bullheaded, so was I- that didn't make me a lunatic, it made me an independent human being! And… he thought I was _small_?

I smiled. He called me a small "woman", not a girl. "My name's Bella Swan, and I don't care about that. If you're not going to take a ride, at least let me walk with you. That way, if we die of hypothermia or severe frostbite, at least we die together." It was a morbid trail of thought, but it felt nice nonetheless to refer to myself and this sexy ass stranger as "we".

The unbelieving look of shock and another strange expression I couldn't quite put my finger on passed over his face before he stopped walking altogether. "Look, my name is Edward Cullen." He waited for the dawn of shock and horror to show itself, but I didn't feel either of those. I kind of figured he was the infamously hated man of mystery they talked about last week at the barbeque. Car trashing was not common in these parts and the way Jessica described accurately matched Edward's profile, even though all of her words of masked appraisal didn't quite do him justice. I nodded for him to continue. "What's wrong with you?"

I sent him a queer look. "What's wrong with _me_? You're the crazy one that's willing to walk fifteen miles in the cold instead of taking a friendly ride from a friendly-looking person!"

"That's not what I meant." Edward growled in frustration. "You've obviously heard of me, and yet you still want to offer me a ride? Aren't you scared that I'm a real psycho, monster, freak? I can turn fifteen miles into an uncomfortable hour for a townsperson without even trying to! And everyone knows the new Chief Swan's daughter is too precious for words, the monster truck says it all." He made a wild gesture to the parking lot behind me. Okay, so my dad had a knack for making his presence known by oversized vehicles. But this was Ohio, big truck central!

"Yeah, so what?" I offered offhandedly. "My dad would have offered you a ride, too." I shrugged like it was no big deal to me to offer strangers a ride, even if my mom was one of those paranoid "stranger danger" parents. When he wasn't making a move either way, I pointed ahead of us with my covered should to the trail. "Let's get a move on." He needed to hurry up and swallow his pride because I was not planning on actually walking all that way with him, and this jacket was obviously not meant for the real cold, just looks.

"Miss Swan, if I take this ride, will you promise to stop concerning yourself with my welfare?" There was a moment, just a mere few seconds after he said that, where we looked at each other and could not steer away. It was like he caught me on a fishing line, and there was no amount of tugging that could be done in order to get away from his hook. I looked away first, too embarrassed for words and gestured with my shoulder to my dad's huge car behind us. We rode in silence the entire time, where the radio was faint in the background (my dad only preset AM stations that played the games) and soft rain pattered against the car. I should have been a nervous wreck, in the car with a complete stranger and driving in the crazy weather like this… but he comforted me. His warm presence beside me on the passenger's side gave me the sort of confidence I had been lacking on the road these past few days.

Her verbally instructed me how to go the "back way" into Langley Heights, a shortcut that took me right to the road he lived on. "Just continue down this road for another fifteen minutes or so." My eyebrows rose.

"So, you were honestly going to walk all the way here?" I asked again.

Edward pursed his lips and I saw his knuckles whiten. Oh, no, I didn't mean to upset him… there I was, making him feel humiliated and angry over something that wasn't even his fault! I wanted to smack my head against the steering wheel for breaking the peaceful silence with something awkward, but I refrained. "There was no other chance. I don't… I don't have anyone to call on for a favor in this town." That sucked, really! Everywhere I was, I always had a friend. Whether it be in Phoenix with my mother, Ohio with my dad, the bay area in California with my uncles, or Seattle with old family friends, I would always have that necessary support system in order to grow and mature. From what Jessica Stanley let me in on the other day, Edward had no parents and one estranged brother; he was right, he had no one.

"Well," I smiled reassuringly and laid a feather light hand on his, "you have a friend now." He nearly jumped out of his skin when my hand touched his.


End file.
